It was all for you
by potterbite
Summary: I did 24 fics in 24 hours, and I thought I might as well post them here. For titles for each drabble, look at the chapter index. Some were from prompts, some I thought of myself, and all of them are fluffy Captain Swan (duh).
1. teacher-student au

Emma stares at the red markings on her paper in horror – there are so many of them, she can hardly see her own text below. Any other paper, or any other teacher, she would probably already be having an argument and telling her professor how many ways she is right and why her grade should be higher than a D minus and how she did not go back to college at 27 to fail.

She sinks lower in her chair now, though, because this isn't just any teacher and it certainly isn't just any paper; turns out she accidentally turned in the wrong one, so she can't really blame him for questioning what the hell she's doing.

The thing is, she had been working on her paper for two days straight and was staying awake simply by the ridiculous amount of caffeine in her blood stream. During one of her study breaks she thought it would be a glorious idea to write something else, just to make her brain relax enough to be able to squeeze out the last 500 words for her paper, and so she wrote whatever came to mind first; less than an hour later she had 2500 words on why one of her professors, Killian Jones, was nothing but pure perfection.

The problem? Well, she seems to have handed in _that_ one instead of her actual paper – and her professor in this particular class just happens to be no other than Killian Jones.

Safe to say, she wants to crawl into a hole in the ground and die.

(Beside her, Ruby is laughing so hard she can't breathe properly, and Emma wants to see the fun in this, she really does, but she's too mortified to do anything but blush).

She quickly flip through the pages (trying to remember when she had used the words '_Eyes bluer than an ocean I want nothing more than to drown in'_) when she sees the end notes he has left for her about coming to talk to him. Of course he would want to see her after class. Perhaps to tell her she is creepy and that she's not allowed to participate in his classes any longer because it makes him uncomfortable. Or maybe he has already called the police, accusing her of being a stalker?

She freaks out, and doesn't hear a word in his lecture until everyone starts packing their things and leaving the room. She takes her arm and drags it across her desk, holding out her bag underneath to catch all of her things – she'll have to sort it all out later. Right now her priority is getting the hell out of there (before he notices) and to never return again.

Because her life hates her sometimes, she hardly gets a foot outside the door before she hears a voice behind her. "Swan, could you please stay behind? I need to talk to you."

She freezes at the spot, not sure if she should make a run for it or do as he wants. Being who she is (afraid to get the final grade of D in his class), she slowly turns around and waits for the last students to leave. She keeps her head down, terrified to meet his gaze.

"Are you planning on examining your feet for our entire conversation?" He sounds – well, amused – and it shocks her enough to look up. Sure enough, there's a smile on his (_perfect_) lips and her heart breaks a little. She expected a reprimand, or suspension for inappropriate behavior, but she didn't actually think he would openly mock her about it.

"What did you want?" She tries not to grit her teeth, but her irritation is stronger.

"Did you have an actual paper for me to grade?"

She frowns. "Well, yeah, but I – "

"Fine, email it to me this afternoon."

Her frown deepens. "That's – that's all you wanted to see me about?"

"Why, did you want to discuss my _dimples shaped like a smile from the sun_?" He smirks as he quotes her own words to her, and she can't help but roll her eyes.

"I'm over it." She shrugs and starts to leave, hoping she looks very casual about it and not as if she is freaking out. (Her heart beats twice as fast when she understands that he read her paper enough to remember what she wrote by heart).

"Too bad, I was thinking perhaps dinner and a movie next week."

She turns her head fast enough to get a whiplash, and meets his gaze, searching for mockery. "What?"

He smiles again. "You heard me."

"But – "

He cuts her off, already knowing what she's about to ask. "My last class is this Friday, and since I couldn't find your name on my list for next semester, it doesn't appear as any conflict will arise. Of course, if you do not want to go on a date with me, that's your choice." He says it easily, in a bit of a rush, and she can't help her own smile.

"You checked for my name?"

His cheeks turn red. "I do that for every semester, I really do. It was solely for professional reasons." He scratches himself behind his ear, before letting out a breath. "I'm busted, aren't I?"

She laughs, and scrambles through her bag for an old business card and hands it to him. "Friday next week. Call me."

His accepts it with great delicacy, and tucks it carefully in his chest pocket. "I will."


	2. cuddling on the couch

"This is ridiculous, why isn't the heat working?!" Emma huddled closer to Killian on the couch, glad not to be alone during the worst snowstorm in the history of Storybrooke. Well, if it could still be called a snowstorm when an evil ice queen had made it happen, whilst freezing several inhabitants of the town and imprisoning Elsa. They had gotten Elsa out, though, and for the time being there were nothing else they could do but wait for daylight.

"I believe that would have something to do with the power failure?" Killian chuckled against her ear, bringing her closer with the arm he had wrapped around her – she tried to relax, and leaned her head against his chest.

"You learn fast," she muttered, smiling despite herself. "Can you reach that blanket?" She pointed at the quilt at the other end of the couch, which he easily fetched with his hook without a word; he draped it over them both (made sure it was tucked all the way around her) and she brought her legs inside the somewhat warmer space, tucking her toes underneath his leg.

"I have to hand it to that ice woman – she sure makes dating you easier," Killian said after a moment of silence. Emma laughed.

"Still counting number of dates?"

She could feel him nod against her head. "Twenty-seven."

Leaning back to be able to see him, she lifted an eyebrow. "You're serious."

He looked back at her, confusion written all over his face. "Of course I am. It's easy enough to keep track. Twenty-two was when we had dinner at Granny's, followed by a walk at the harbor and a fight with a soldier of ice. Fifteen was when we huddled together in the forest when the ice queen was about to catch up to us, and you couldn't keep from laughing. Fifteen also included our twelfth kiss, so it remains one of my favorites."

Speechless, she reached up and pressed her lips against his, sinking into it – comfortable, easy and _safe_. Maybe he had a point; maybe the ice queen did make dating somewhat easier.


	3. the one with the sonogram

She hisses when the cold gel touches her bare stomach, and closes her eyes in an attempt to relax. There's no reason everything wouldn't be fine, of course there isn't, but she's still so nervous she thinks she might throw up. What if –

"Remember to breathe, love," Killian says next to her, and the hand covering hers squeezes gently; she lets out a wide breath.

"Aren't you nervous?" she asks, because she has to hear it from him even though she knows him well enough without words, has to know for certain that she isn't the only one about to freak out. He removes his hand from hers and holds it up in the air for her to see; it shakes violently. "Good," she says, knowing he'll understand what she means, and takes his hand again.

"Everything looks fine," the doctor says then, and they both look at the monitor next to the bed simultaneously. "Do you want to know the sex?"

"It doesn't matter," Emma replies at the same time as Killian says "I will love that baby no matter what," and Emma can't help the way her eyes tear up at that.

The doctor smiles at them both. "Good to know."

"But it's healthy?" Emma has to hear it again, just to be sure. "The heart beat normal? Should I be doing something differently?"

The doctor places her hand on Emma's arm, a comforting weight, and meets Emma's gaze steadily. "You are doing great, you both are. Everything is normal and the baby looks healthy."

"Did you hear that? I'm doing great as well," Killian says, sounding so relieved Emma has to look at him; his gaze is locked on the shapes and sizes impossible to tell what is what on the screen, looking as if he's in trance.

"Hey," she says and grabs him by the chin to turn his head towards her. He looks so vulnerable it makes her ache. She won't allow him to feel like that. Not after all this time. Not after all they have been through. "I couldn't wish for a better parent for this baby. Never forget that, alright?"

He smiles and sighs (sounding like the weight of the world has been lifted off of his shoulders) and lets his forehead fall forward until it meets hers, smiling with his whole face. "Ditto."

(He falls asleep with his head on her stomach for the first time that night, and starts telling stories to the unborn child shortly after. Not for the first time she finds herself in awe of the man he has become, and falls in love all over again when she feels the baby kick at the sound of his voice).


	4. emma finds a tattoo

On their second (official) date, Emma asks Killian to stay the night.

It's not something she had planned, but when the words come out it feels right. It's not even about sex, because Emma isn't ready for that with him quite yet (not knowing what she might unleash in herself when they finally do decide to take it to the next level, and she hates herself for being so afraid still), but rather about a new level of intimacy she really hasn't had with anyone before.

He edges towards the couch, looking uncertain of his place in her home, but she just shakes her head and points at the bed. They undress in silence, and while Emma _knows_ it should be awkward, it is comfortable and comforting.

When he joins her in the bathroom as she brushes her teeth, he sees the name of her toothpaste, Colgate, and starts telling a story of how he once met a man named Cole Gate who knew how to juggle, and Emma laughs with her mouth full of toothpaste as he talks, not able to keep the foam in. Somehow, a few pieces falls together inside of her at that.

When he is about to join her in bed, she realizes she's never before seen him fully shirtless (even though those shirts he wears are sometimes bordering obscene), and steals a quick glance. She's not prepared for what she sees.

"What's that?"

He follows her pointing finger to his chest, and looks at her again with a small frown as if afraid to tell her the answer. "A swan."

She swallows. "And have you always had that tattoo?" She asks it despite already knowing the answer, because she needs time to process – to figure out how to deal with him having a swan tattooed right below his heart and how it gives her even less reasons to doubt his sincerity. Not that she ever wanted to doubt him, but it's easy to fall into a rut and to keep on assuming people will, at some point, leave. Now, however, that last amount of doubt flies out of the window faster than she can keep up with and she's left with nothing but her own feelings to face instead, which sometimes happens to be the scariest thing to ever have to do even though she might even know the answer to her feelings already.

"No. I got it in the year you spent in New York." He speaks slowly, carefully, and she understands he's terrified of her reaction – terrified she might run, because that's how she would feel if the roles were reversed.

And it really doesn't take any more than that, because of course she feels the same way about this wonderful man as he does about her. How can she not when he stands next to the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of sweat pants her father had left there, looking as if his entire world might be falling apart by a single word from her. She can't even imagine a life without him in it.

(Doesn't want to, and realizes it might not be as scary as she thought).

She stretches out her arm to catch his hand, and makes him sit down. "Thank you."

He looks at her, puzzled and still on guard. "For what?"

"For being you. Let's sleep."

She crawls up close to him once he's under the cover (a smile on his lips as he does), and presses a soft kiss to his collar bone. Both of them are asleep within five minutes.


	5. childhood friends au

Emma and Killian met when they were seven, and bonded over cotton candy and cinnamon toasts. It was always an easy friendship based on loyalty and a belief that the world was saving something very special for them, which was why they had had such hard childhoods. When they met, Emma was living at an orphanage and Killian had just lost both of his parents and brother in an accident and refused to talk to anyone but Emma. It was uncomplicated to be friends, and the best relationship Emma had ever had.

As the years passed, her feelings towards her best friend started to gradually change, but she never said anything about it to him, terrified of losing him if she did. Besides, what made her feel good and happy in life was being able to sit up at nights and share stories and laugh together, and she wouldn't want to ruin any of that – her only safe haven.

When Killian turned eighteen (a month before Emma), he got a letter with an offer to join the navy, and without any other plans for his future he had no other choice but to accept. They said their goodbyes on a cold Tuesday in November, promising to write as often as they could; she cried herself to sleep that night, and left the orphanage the following morning.

They kept in touch, a letter popping up every other month, but didn't meet again until five years later. Emma had known he was leaving the navy and meeting up with her in Boston, but didn't let it fully register (_didn't dare to believe it_) until she stood in front of him at the train station. Ironically, she couldn't think of a single thing to say but just stood there, taking the sight of him in.

(The years had been good to him, and he looked just like she remembered him. A few years older, but as gorgeous as ever in his white uniform and his hat tucked underneath an arm).

"Emma." It sounded like a prayer, and her heart melted at the sound of his voice – _finally_, her heart screamed.

"Killian." She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her the same time as she said his name, but didn't know what else to say when all she wanted to do was to reach out and touch him, to make sure he was actually back.

She couldn't be sure who moved first – maybe he took a step forward, or maybe she put her hand on his shoulder – but within seconds they were kissing, and it felt _so right_, like a hole in her chest starting to fill up again as he parted his lips and let her inside. It wasn't perfect – noses bumping together, her teeth scraping too much against his bottom lip – but it was the best kiss she'd ever had.

When they broke for air, he grinned at her. "Good to be back home."

"Best friends forever," she replied with a grin and dove in again.


	6. arguing over ice cream flavours

"No."

"But – "

She looked at the box he was holding in his hand. "It sounds disgusting."

He grinned at her, wiggling the box in the air. "But it might be delicious."

She folded her arms across her chest, determined to fight for her cause. "Admit you only want it because you like to say the word 'buzz'."

"Only if you admit you can't stand the smell of caramel," he retorted and she groaned. Sometimes it was a menace being able to read each other so well, now being one of those times.

"Fine, it makes me sick. We can't have ice cream with the name _coffee caramel buzz_ in our home, Killian."

He bent down over the freezer and picked up another flavor. "Chubby hubby, perhaps?"

And just like that their argument was over practically before it had even really begun, and Emma kissed him in the ice cream aisle at Walmart, feeling once again how lucky she was to have him in her life.

(They ended up buying rocky road – both feeling satisfied with their choice – and decided to have some after dinner. They forgot all about it, though, and didn't find it until a few months later when Emma's pregnancy cravings began; ironically enough, she only wanted coffee caramel buzz).


	7. neighbours au

It's not like there's some law against looking out your own window on a sunny autumn day, Emma thinks to herself as she looks over at her neighbor's backyard. There should be laws against raking leaves shirtless, whilst seeming to have the best time of your life, however.

Emma has lived next door to Killian for the past six months, and it's always been friendly enough. Granted, he looks like a super model dropped from heaven, but she's a grown woman whom certainly knows how to control herself around men she finds attractive.

But him shirtless, being able to watch his muscles flex as he rakes is destroying her.

(In a good way).

She has just taken a sip of her coffee when Killian suddenly takes a giant leap into his pile of leaves, and she all but chokes on the hot liquid. She looks at him laughing to himself, and forgets for a moment that she's standing alone in her hallway, creepily staring at her hot neighbor, and laughs with him – his gaze finds hers as he laughs, and it's too late for her to pretend she didn't just stand there like a giant dufus and stare.

She sinks down against the wall below her window, hoping by any slim chance there is that he didn't see her, when there's a knock on the door.

When she doesn't immediately open, she can hear his voice. "Swan, I know you're in there. I just have a question for you."

Dragging her feet, already feeling her cheeks heating up, she makes her way to the front door and opens up. "Oh, hello, Killian. What a surprise." She cringes at her own words, because even she can hear how false they sound. She tries plastering on a smile and ignoring her blushing face. "What did you want to ask?"

He grins, though. "You might want to join me instead of standing here by yourself just looking. It is loads of fun, I promise."

(They pile together leaves from both their yards and spend a few hours having fun with it. After, he asks if she'd like to join him for dinner, and somehow she remains there longer than she plans, ending up tangled together in his bed, never once regretting her decision to spy on her hot friendly neighbor).


	8. killian hearing emma's thoughts

She sees it in her peripheral vision, how he stretches his arms above his head like a cat that has been sleeping the entire day, and turns her head to get a full view. He's deep in a conversation with the new guy, Will something, and hardly notices when she swings her barstool just a little bit (ignoring Granny's pointed look). Henry sips his chocolate in silence next to her, so she guess that means he's busy texting Grace, and she lets him do it even though they were supposed to have some mother-son bonding time. It has nothing to do with a certain pirate, it really doesn't. She just want her son to be happy and texting his friends, that's all.

She and Killian are not exactly together – not yet anyway, her mind wants to add – but she's been giving him as much as she can, and he seems to accept it. But that doesn't mean she's not allowed to look when he walks a few steps in front of her, deep in conversation with her father, or bends over to fetch something on the ground. She is still human, after all.

_And it's not like he can hear my thoughts_, she thinks to herself as she takes in every inch of the small gap of skin she can see of his stomach as he continues to stretch. Something shakes – maybe it's inside of her, maybe just an imagination – but when she looks around and sees no one else has reacted, she leans back in her chair again to enjoy the last few blissful seconds before he's finished and brings his arms down again.

He leans further (_impossibly longer_) back, and she wets her lips involuntarily as she takes in the trail of hair starting below his navel and vanishing beneath the belt in his (new) pants.

_Dear lord, I want to lick that_, she thinks, and is horrified to see him take down his arms and meet her gaze just seconds later. She blushes slightly – can feel the warmth on her cheeks as his gaze drill into hers – but shakes her head at her own silliness; of course he can't hear her thoughts, that would be ridiculous.

He frowns at nothing in particular, and she wonders if something is bothering him. His eyes widen a bit, and she freezes where she is. How in the world could he possibly be hearing her thoughts? She figures she needs to test it to make sure, because things like this just can't happen. Sure, white magic and black magic and whatever the hell else magic there is, but mind reading? That's probably stretching it a bit too far.

_If you can hear this, cough twice_, she thinks quickly, a reminiscent feeling going through her as she does; she used to do the same thing as a child, just to be on the safe side that others wouldn't know what was going on inside her mind. Nobody ever coughed, though, of course they didn't, so it can't be happening –

He coughs twice.

She wants to sink into a hole and stay there.

She leaves the diner quickly, just stays long enough to tell Henry that she needs to head out and that he should ask Killian to walk him home.

(Henry laughs, and tells her he can walk himself home).

She hasn't even left Main Street when Killian catches up to her. _Crap_, she thinks and turns around to face him.

"How – " he starts.

"I don't know," she interrupts. "This is just all kinds of horrible at the same time."

He smirks. "Are you afraid I might hear something inappropriate, love?"

She laughs (can't help it). "You're stupid." _I like you_.

"I rather like how this is turning out," he smirks at her thought and steps closer to her for a quick kiss.

_He's such a good kisser_.

"And it seems to be excellent for my self-esteem," he adds.

She shakes her head as she grins. "Like you need any help with that."

(The spell wears off after twenty-four hours, but by then he already knows all the things she's never dared to tell him. He shares his own secrets after that – aches from his past he'd rather not speak of – and when she tells him she loves him a few months later, and he replies '_I know, I love you too' _she knows it's the truth, and not some spell).


	9. emma asks about killian's rings

"Where did you get them all?" Emma asks Killian one night as they lie in bed. His rings are on the dresser at the foot of the bed, some glittering in the moonlight, some not visible in the dark room.

He moves a finger in circles on her arm, and presses a soft kiss on her shoulder. "Where did I get what?"

"Your rings."

He pauses mid-movement and gets up from the bed – she's sure she has asked too much – only to fetch all the rings, and returns just seconds later, turning on the bedside lamp. He holds out the one with the bright red stone inside, thumb moving around on the hard surface.

"This one belonged to my brother, Liam," he begins, and she can't keep herself from sucking in a breath. "He never actually wore it, but always kept it close. I never knew why." He laughs without any humor at that, and she puts her hand on his thigh, hoping to comfort. "He told me he had gotten it from our mother before she passed away."

She can't think of a way to respond, so she just squeezes his leg with her fingers; he smiles at her in response.

"All of these comes from my past, some with more painful memories than others," he says and drags a hand through her hair. "They act as a reminder, for both the good things and the bad." His eyes flicker down to her swan necklace, and she gives him a small nod. They are so similar Emma sometimes wonder if it is possible for one soul to inhabit two bodies, because it's not until she's with him she finally feels _whole_ (not even knowing that she wasn't for all those years until she met his gaze and pieces started falling together inside of her).

(She wakes up three months later and takes of her swan necklace without thinking about it, relishing in how it can feel so right to do something so simple. As it turns out, he had done the same thing with his rings and it's like they are both agreeing to let go of the past, and start a new future together).

(They hang his brother's ring in a chain, and keep it on the wall in their bedroom; it is like a quiet secret between just the two of them, and it's perfect).


	10. taking each other's phone au part 1

Emma wakes up with the worst hangover in her entire life – positive that she is, in fact, dying – to find that she doesn't have her phone. She has _a_ phone, one that looks identical to her own, but it's most definitely not hers seeing as the background is of the ocean and there are pictures of people she's never even met.

After getting up for some aspirins and a giant glass of water, she sends a text to her own number.

**You:** Hello. Um, I hope you that have my phone might be missing your own, since I have one I do not own.

She takes a (long) hot shower, rinsing of the smell of old beer and cigarette smoke from her hair and body, and slowly starts to feel more and more human. When she's dressed, there's a reply to her message from what she recognizes as her own number.

**237-98:** Hello. Yes, I seem to be one phone down and in possession of an unknown one. Meet and switch back?

**You:** I have to go to work any minute, actually. Tomorrow? If you can survive that long without a phone.

She eats breakfast and tries to remember what happened after her fourth glass of wine, but can't recall any of it; she rushes off to work shortly after and doesn't see the new texts until lunch time.

**237-98:** Ha. Well, I have yours.

**237-98:** I must say, you are really pretty.

She groans, because of course she accidentally switches her phone with a creepy one.

**You:** You looked?

**237-98:** Like you didn't. I had to make sure my phone was in safe hands.

**You:** Busted.

She has just finished eating when he texts her again, making her snort.

**237-98:** I think I need to establish right away that I am not a scary guy. I just realized it was inappropriate for me to compliment your looks. I apologize.

**You:** Don't worry about it. You're not too shabby yourself. Besides, wouldn't that be the exact words of a creeper?

**237-98:** True. What can I say then?

**You:** Nothing. It is what it is.

**237-98:** Ah well, can't blame me for trying. For all I know, you might be equally creepy.

**You:** I am, I really am.

It goes on like that for the rest of the day; easy banter and questions about life in general, and Emma finds she enjoys talking to this guy, even though she's still not sure if he's stalker material or not.


	11. divorce attorneys au

Emma groans when she enters her office on Monday morning and sees who is waiting for her in the conference room.

"Do I have to?" she asks her assistant, Ruby, who nods apologetic in response. "Fine." She cracks her neck from side to side, makes sure her clothes all are where they are supposed to (she doesn't want a repeat of the disaster last year where she went into a meeting with toilet paper sticking up from the back of her pants) and heads into the room.

"Killian," she nods when she has closed the door, and gets a nod in return.

"Swan."

She bites the inside of her cheeks to keep from screaming. "My name is Emma." She refuses to acknowledge that she likes the way it sounds when he calls her Swan. "Can we just get through this?"

"By all means," he replies and gestures for her to sit down. _In her own office_. She rolls her eyes.

"Peter wants half of the estate's estimated worth," she begins. "And he wants full custody of their dog Pearl."

Killian clucks his tongue. "Not happening. Marge wants Pearl, and Peter's turtle Leonardo."

Unable to sit still, she gets up from her chair and starts wandering about the room. "He's never going to give up Leonardo, he loves that turtle like a baby."

"Then why would he need Pearl?"

"He doesn't think Marge is capable of taking care of a dog on her own. Now that they are getting a divorce, he feels it is best if the dog came with him."

"Now, is that you talking or Peter?" Killian smirks as he rocks back and forth in is chair, looking so cocky Emma wants to strangle him. Or kiss him. She hasn't decided yet.

"You are _the_ most impossible lawyer to negotiate with, Killian!"

"So are you, love."

She takes a few steps closer to him. "I am not." A few more. "And don't call me love."

He swings his chair around to face her properly, and lifts an eyebrow. "What would you like me to call you then?"

"My name!"

"Why do you always get so agitated when I'm around?" He arises from his chair and walks up to where she's currently standing, feeling like she's about to breathe fire.

"Because you're not a properly functioning adult and I have no idea how you even got through law school!"

He smiles, positively lethally. "Like you did, I assume; by studying."

"God, I just hate you so much it makes me – " Frustrated, she lets out a loud groan, before taking hold of his suit and dragging him towards her to meet his lips, catching his surprised huff as they clash together. Even now – as she opens up her mouth and he gets inside and she's not sure if they are still standing or not – it still feels as if a battle is being fought, and she doesn't think anyone can win.

The sound of someone clearing their throat makes them break apart, breathing quick as they stare at each other.

Ruby grins wide. "Should I tell Marge and Peter to come back later?"


	12. the one with the morning after

When Emma wakes up, there's an arm flung across her stomach and a smile on her lips, as if it's been there all night and she feels peaceful – _whole_ – as she leans her head to watch Killian's even breathing against her shoulder, warm breath tingling her skin.

When it came to her and Killian, she really thought she had been prepared for it all – she had certainly imagined all scenarios in which they slept together in her mind – but when she had asked him to stay (a quiet whisper, terrified he would leave) he had just smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss, as if they had been doing this forever. Where she had expected frantic, she got excruciatingly delicate touches on every inch of her body. Where she had expected passionate and intense, she had gotten an unhurried kiss in the hollow beneath her ear and broken sobs with her name in them. (And when she called out his name as well, he met her gaze and it was right and powerful – _perfect_). Where she had expected a quick release in their inability to take it slow, she got careful kisses as he led her over the edge.

And where she had expected to fall asleep on top of each other, waking up the next morning with every body part imaginable sore, she got midnight talks about everything and nothing and arms tight around her waist.

But none if it matters; not her expectations, not even how it really happened. All that really matters is how he sleeps next to her still as daylight comes, and how his fingers clench and unclench against her side as if checking to see she's still there, even in his sleep.

_Dear God, I love him_, she thinks to herself as she watches him scrunch up his nose and smile, sighing her name as he dreams. And she realizes that's okay.

(She realizes she wouldn't want to have it any other way).

(She wakes him up half an hour later with a kiss, to which he responds immediately – and they have another go which is closer to what she imagined, only better. She supposes it might have something to do with how she feels about this wonderful man, and how he seems to be unable to last more than thirty seconds without touching her lips. And that's absolutely okay with her, too).


	13. titanic au part 1

The first time Emma Swan met Killian Jones, she was throwing a homemade ball with some guys that lived in third class with her (she never did act like a lady in the eyes of those around her, but after 25 years of dirty looks and name-calling, she had learned to ignore it and do what she liked anyway) and made a dive for it, just barely catching it before it hit Killian's face. Her years of thievery paid off and her ability to move quick and decidedly finally made it possible for her to do something other than - well, steal.

He was grateful and told her he had to protect his devilishly handsome face if he wanted to stay in first class; she saw the glitter in his eyes, and laughed at his joke and found that she liked the way he grinned back. As a thank you, he asked her to join him and his friends for supper at the first class dining hall, and she couldn't say no.

(She was dying of curiosity how it everything looked up there, where she was certain they all shat gold and ate money, but she tried to hide her excitement as best she could).

Somehow, they ended up taking a walk on the first class deck for the better part of the afternoon (Killian promising her it was okay for her to be there, despite her feeling like an intruder), getting to know each other even though it seemed like a friendship doomed from the beginning.

Killian was the heir to some railway company and was traveling to New York to meet up with some potential investors on his father's orders. Killian himself didn't seem much interested in trains (more fascinated with the ship they were on if anything) but claimed it was a great passion of his. Emma spotted his lie instantly, and when she called him out on it he started laughing.

"You're nothing like anyone I've ever met before." He sounded appreciative, so she took it as a compliment.

Killian introduced her to some woman named Molly Brown that gave her a dress for the evening. Molly had a lot of money because her husband had made some good investments before he died, and she had a blunt way about her that made Emma like her instantly, even before she said she'd like to take a bite on Killian's _tushy_ and making Emma laugh so hard she couldn't breathe. People around them gasped in horror as they approached the dining hall, though, but Molly didn't seem to care.

Killian held out his arms for them to take when they approached and started to lead them forward.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" he asked Emma with a grin. Her answer was lost on her tongue as she was met by blinding chandeliers, beautiful decorations and people wearing clothes worth more than she'd ever owned in her entire life (she guessed). "Breathe, lass," Killian said and she realized she had been holding her breath.

It was all a bit overwhelming, but she made it through the evening in one piece and even impressed some of them when she told them of her life and her determination, given their looks. Living on the street was hard as a child, but Emma found that if you refused to give up life would eventually become easier.

For the following days, she and Killian spent most of their time together and it was easy and natural, even when people stared at her worn down clothes in first class. She took him dancing below deck, in third class, and taught him how to drink an entire beer in less than thirty seconds. He laughed, and promised he would practice more when they reached land.

They kissed for the first time the same night the ship hit the iceberg. It was nothing she hadn't done before, but somehow it felt like the first time and like she wanted it to be only him forever. She knew it was ridiculous after only a few short days, but she met his gaze and it was as if coming home.


	14. emma is cold

She wakes up shaking in the middle of the night, learning that a thin blanket isn't enough during the worst winters in Storybrooke.

"'m cold," she slurs in a whiny complaint into their dark bedroom, reaching for him because he's there but he's _too far away_. She finds his fingers, and intertwines them with her own as if hoping to drain some warmth from his ridiculously hot body. He's always at least a couple of degrees warmer than everyone else, and she still hasn't figured out why.

He grunts in his sleep, and moves closer to her to wrap both arms around her and she sighs in relief.

"Better?" he asks, voice heavy with sleep, and her heart just loves him so much she's not sure how it hasn't burst yet.

"Yeah, thank you." She presses a kiss to his throat.

"Feet too?" He moves his legs to trap her toes, and barely hisses when he finds them ice cold. "Important to stay warm," he mumbles into her hair, and she nods against his chest.

_Important if you're here_, she thinks just before she drifts off. She dreams of roses and kisses and oceans and his eyes.


	15. taking each other's phone au part 2

When she heads home from work late that night, she picks up the phone without even thinking about it.

**You:** New York is scary at nights.

**237-987:** Not if you're with someone.

**You:** Can still be scary. Alone now, though. Hey, call my friend Ruby if I don't get home in one piece. Ha.

**237-98:** Not funny.

**237-98:** Are you really scared?

**You:** What, you plan on coming to my rescue?

**237-98:** Perhaps.

**You:** Can take care of myself, always had to. And no, I'm not really scared.

**You:** I know karate and I always carry a brick in my purse.

**237-98:** Quite the comedian.

She realizes she's grinning to herself, and puts the phone back in her pocket and doesn't touch it until she's in her apartment again, feeling like a moron. As soon as she does open it again, though, they can't really seem to stop talking and they text all night; when first light comes she knows more about him than she does some of her close friends (and he about her, too). She's more curious than ever about the mystery guy – Killian, as he had told her during the night – and has decided to meet him at a local diner at noon.

As time drags on, she becomes more and more nervous, and can't even bring herself to reply to his latest message.

**237-98:** Looking forward to meeting you in person. I feel like I already know you.

**237-98:** I hope that wasn't too frank.

At exactly twelve o'clock, she enters Granny's diner, positive she's going to throw up, and finds him instantly; he looks up and when they lock gazes her heart does a double take. She approaches his table on shaky legs and attempts a smile.

"Killian?"

"Aye. Emma, I guess, seeing as you look identical to the woman in the pictures here." He grins and waves her phone in the air. She grabs his from her pocket and hands it over to him, and accepts her own when he offers it.

"Well that was easy enough," he says. "Care to join me for lunch?"

She hesitates; she doesn't really know this guy, and for all she know he might have been telling her nothing but lies last night. _Only one way to find out_, her brain offers. "Sure," she hear herself reply and sits down opposite him - and it's scary and relaxing and terrifying and the best meal she's had in years. She's never been gladder to have lost her phone.

(He's not creepy, it turns out. After talking some more – the staff sighing loudly when they continue to occupy the same booth for over five hours – they realize they have some friends in common. They kiss for the first time a few days later, and it's just as uncomplicated and wonderful as Emma always has searched for and she loves the way his gaze makes the butterflies in her stomach go crazy).


	16. playing twister

"Mom, I said left hand on _red_, not blue," Henry sighs as he watches Emma and Killian struggle over who's the best at Twister – he himself lost almost half an hour ago but they both refuse to stop playing. Emma keeps claiming Killian can't win because if he does, it will be thanks to his handicap to use whichever part he wants whenever he gets left hand.

(The handicap had been Henry's idea, because he had seen the look on Killian's face when he heard the rules of the game. And it doesn't matter what his mother says, because he saw her clench her hand at the same time as Killian's face fell, and unclench it with a smile when she heard Henry's idea).

Emma laughs, a short sound almost a giggle, and makes an attempt to reach the red circle. The blue one would've been easier, though, Henry thinks, because the only available red is right below Killian where he squats with a smirk on his face. Emma raises an eyebrow in response – a challenge, Henry knows – and manages to place her hand where it's supposed to be.

He shakes his head and spins the pointer to see what Killian should do next. He looks up to give the orders, and doesn't miss his mother's hand sneaking up and pinching Killian's ass, to which Killian only huffs a laugh.

Henry gets up. "That's it. I'm out. Have fun, do whatever just never tell me about it and I'll be at Mom's house tonight."

He's out of the apartment before either of them has the time to react, but he still hears the sound of them laughing as he leans against the door, and feels his heart swell for his mother's sake. He smiles to himself, glad that she's finally found someone that makes her - well, herself.

When he hears something that can't be anything other than lips touching lips, he quickly starts descending the stairs, desperately trying to avoid any and all mental pictures.

(He gets a text from Emma a few hours later with an apology and an offer of dinner. He tells her he'll come only if she and Killian can keep themselves in check and not scar him for life with any more pinching of body parts; she sends him a picture of her blushing face, followed by one of Killian grinning proudly).


	17. celebrity-fan au

She's leaving the restroom (eyes foggy with moisture thanks to her low life _ex-_boyfriend) when she slams into a solid mass, falling back a few steps and spilling beer on her shirt. She curses, and looks up to see who just sabotaged her plans to return the shirt after having used it one time (thus saving her money she doesn't really have) and sees nothing but blue.

"Sorry, lass," the man standing in front of her says with a grimace, and pulls out a handkerchief from his back pocket and offers it to her. "This might help with your shirt, or your tears, whichever you prefer." He smiles crookedly at her and she can feel herself smiling back instantly.

"Thanks," she says as she accepts it and starts drying herself the best she can. There's still a stain no matter how hard she tries, so she gives up after a few short minutes of internal cursing.

"Love is only worth so many tears," the man says then, and she frowns at him.

"How did you – "

"You're quite easy to read." He winks playfully at her, and she rolls her eyes. "I have to go," he adds and leaves her without another word, and she's left with more questions than answers as she heads over to the bar for another beer.

"I dedicate this song to all the broken hearts here tonight," she hears a voice say in the speakers then, and turns around to see_him_ there, on the stage with the band. Suddenly some pieces of a larger puzzle falls together and she wants to bang her head on something _so hard_, because how could she not know that that was the lead singer, Killian Jones, of Rocky Seas? "And I also want to dedicate it to the woman with golden hair who managed to capture me with her smile, and who's currently in possession of my dear handkerchief," he continues with a blinding smile, and most of the audience members in the small venue _aw'_s.

She blushes in the dark, and closes her eyes to let herself forget anything but the present as he starts singing – _for her_.


	18. titanic au part 2

As the ship started to go down, the word _panic_ didn't seem like enough to describe the emotional state of everyone on board as they all realized not everyone would make it out alive. That not everyone would return home to their families.

Killian held Emma's hand firmly as they headed through the crowds in search of a lifeboat with free seats, and Emma was grateful she wasn't alone – they'd been up all night talking, which meant Emma wasn't below deck when the ship struck the ice berg. She had already heard people saying that most of the men working in the engine room had drowned.

They couldn't find a place on a boat, and went down in the water with hundreds of others. It was the most surreal experience of Emma's entire life, watching an entire ship vanish below surface and leave nothing behind but screaming people desperate to survive. Killian never left her side, promising her he'd make his father sue White Star Line as soon as he could send him a telegram, because he wasn't satisfied with their services. She tried laughing, but her cheeks hurt and the water was colder than she thought it was possible for it to be – she couldn't feel her feet.

Time passed – minutes, or maybe hours, it was impossible to tell surrounded by pitch black water and a bright moon – and screams around them silenced until there was only the quiet sound of a whistle, not even loud enough for anyone far away to hear.

She remembered Killian shaking just as violently as her, and his eyes losing their shimmer, but it didn't take long for her to close her eyes, desperate to feel warm, and suddenly everything turned black.

Three days after waking up, Emma and the rest of the remaining survivors finally arrived in New York with Carpathia, exhausted and still in shock.

"Miss, what's your name?" a man asked next to her where she stood on deck.

She turned her head to watch him, gaze blurry from the heavy rain, exhaustion in every muscle in her body, and couldn't quite register the words he spoke. She looked back at the large statue in front of her, the one she had wanted to see ever since she'd been a little girl. It was smaller than she had imagined.

"Miss?" the man said again.

"Jones," she said without having to think about it. "Emma Jones."

Next to her, Killian squeezed her hand tightly.


	19. emma hitting killian's car au

She's just about to back out of her parking spot after spending _three freaking hours_ grocery shopping (which happens to be a menace with a five year old present, something she just learned the hard way) when another car is suddenly just _there_, and her car keeps rolling and Henry is crying next to her. When she hits the other car she feels like screaming.

(She doesn't, though).

(Not now. Not here).

(She wouldn't trade being a single mom for anything in the world, but some days are so much harder than others. Some days she just wants to lie in her bed and hide under the covers with Henry until it passes. Some days she wonders if she's doing everything wrong with him. All days she loves him so much it hurts).

She swears, and quickly gets out of the car to face the other driver – a man – as he studies both cars.

"So, so sorry! It's been a crappy day and I've been here forever and I'm tired and my son wouldn't stop crying and – "

The man smiles with his entire face. "Relax, lass. Doesn't seem like a big bump, and I've a mate that fixes cars."

"Oh," she says dumbly. "How – wait, hold on a minute." She walks back the few steps to her car and takes Henry out with her, afraid he'll be too warm in there, and holds his small fingers as he walks in front of her. She tells him to stop when they are in front of Killian, and both smile at each other.

"So how do we do this?" she asks, watching Killian make a silly face at Henry, who grins in return. _Great_. Not only did she hit the most beautiful man she's ever seen, but he also loves kids. She might as well just melt into a puddle on the ground right where she is.

Killian tears his eyes away from the boy. "My mate can probably fix this for free if we bring them in now when he's not busy. Go home and leave all your groceries and meet me at -" he says and turns around to search for something in his car. He finds a napkin and a pen and writes something on it before handing it to Emma. "This address here."

She takes the note. "I – "

"And bring the lad," he adds with a wink at Henry.

_I'm screwed_, she thinks.

She drives off a few minutes later, promising to meet him at the mechanics and only looks in the rearview mirror twice. Okay, maybe four times. But who's counting?


	20. lab partners au

Killian used to see himself as a strong, confident person who wouldn't hesitate in a crisis where people were injured and the like. He also used to think that when he finally saw that one person he would love, he would _know_ and he would have all the right words to say and would make them fall for him as he would them.

As he lays on the floor, that Swan girl cradling his head to make sure he doesn't hit it on the hard surface, he comforts himself that at least he knew when he saw her. He's not so sure if he made a very good first impression, though, given that he fainted at the first sight of blood and still hasn't spoken to her.

(He wants to _woo_ her, and feels ridiculous for it. But he wouldn't mind being a complete fool if it meant she would speak to him).

"Well, that was embarrassing," he says when he's sure his voice will hold, still a little dizzy. The entire class is watching him, staring as if he's an animal at the zoo, and he hates it.

She laughs, and he feels her whole body shake next to him where she squats. "I agree. And not very graceful" He meets her eyes – laughter in them, not mockery – and tries to keep his gaze there, trying to get the rest of the room to fade away as he focuses on her voice. "You should probably go see the school nurse."

He attempts a smile and hopes it doesn't look like he's cringing. (He is). "Only if you take me."

She rolls her eyes, and it kind of makes him even dizzier but he doesn't want to look away, watching as she turns around to tell the teacher they're headed out, her golden hair falling over her face as she bends over him to help him up from the floor.

As she leads him through the empty halls, a warm hand on his side, he again realizes he doesn't mind being a fool when she's around. Not if it means she looks at him like she does now.


	21. arguing who is taller

It's her dad that interrupts them in the middle of their argument, eyebrows raised at them both.

"What's going on?" he wonders, and Emma and Killian only look at each other for a split second before starting to plead their case to David simultaneously. He starts waving his hands in the air just seconds after. "Whoa, I can't hear if you're talking at the same time."

They both turn quiet, stealing glances at each other as they wait for David to continue.

"Emma, what is going on?"

She smirks at Killian, doing all but sticking her tongue out, obviously pleased she's talking first. "Killian claims he's taller than me."

David starts laughing. "_That's_ what you were arguing about?"

"Yes!" they reply at the same time, and David bites the inside of his cheeks to stop laughing when he sees they are serious.

"Okay, well there's an easy way to settle this. Back to back," he orders, and they both obey immediately; he starts measuring with his eyes, putting a hand on both of their heads to be able to see it better and is actually surprised to find that Emma is taller.

He's about to say as much when he looks down at their feet, and sighs. "Emma, you're not allowed to stand on your toes."

Killian snickers. "Does that mean I'm taller?"

"It does."

Killian does a small victory dance that makes David grimace, before he sweeps Emma up in his arms and does a twirl with her there, pressing his lips against her for a kiss. Emma laughs, all anger seemingly gone, and David finds himself wondering if people find him and Snow equally nauseatingly cute to be around.


	22. meeting online au

Emma walks into the restaurant more nervous than she's been in years. She hates blind dates, and she can't be sure what kind of man Ruby would set her up with, given Ruby's previous history with set-ups.

Still, Emma has promised Ruby to try and have a good time and she'll do her best to do so.

She sees a white flower in the pocket of a man sitting alone in the middle of the restaurant, and her heart jumps; she and her date is supposed to wear white flowers to recognize each other, and if that man is the one she's meeting she will get Ruby all the presents in the world, because he's _beautiful_.

She approaches him cautiously. "Killian?"

He looks up at her – she forgets where she is for a split second as their eyes meet – and smiles. "Emma?"

She nods, and feels her heart speed up when he pulls out her chair for her.

"We meet at last," Killian says as their waiter comes with the menus. "Been looking forward to this for quite some time, actually."

She frowns. "Ruby just told me three days ago."

"Ruby?"

"What?"

"What?"

They stare at each other, before Killian groans. "You didn't sign yourself up on the dating website, did you?"

Her mouth falls open. "What dating website?!"

He starts grinning. "I'm guessing your friend – Ruby was it? – signed you up, and booked this date with me."

It's Emma's turn to groan. "She told me this was a blind date, that you were a friend of a friend or something."

He meets her eyes again, and for a moment they just look at each other, before they bursts out laughing, the entire situation so absurd that there's not much else to do.

(He asks her to stay, anyway, and she does, and ends up having the best date in her life. He asks if he can kiss her when they are about to part ways, and she hums with a smile as she sinks into him, shivering when he runs a hand through her hair).

(She ignores Ruby for three days, until she caves and tells her all about the Killian, smiling the entire time).


	23. emma joins killian in the shower

Emma comes home from a girl's night out, not one hundred percent sober but sober enough to manage the lock on the door by her own, in the hopes that Killian might be waiting up for her.

During the evening, she kept sending Killian pictures of what they were doing (to the phone he had spent endless amount of hours trying to master, and it was so cute she had to make use of it). Some of Aurora singing karaoke with Mulan, others of Mary Margaret and Regina bonding over a tequila shot. As the night progressed and her body took up the alcohol, she started sending some of herself, knowing he'd like them.

So when she gets home, she's prepared for him to lie on the bed, waiting for her. Or the couch. Or even the kitchen counter; she's not picky, not right now. But he's not in any of those places, because he's in the shower.

She tips on her toes all the way to the bathroom, starts undressing and dropping her clothes as she goes, smiling when she reaches the door to find it unlocked. When she's inside, she quickly moves the curtain and steps into the shower, scaring the crap out of him (if the look on his face is any indication).

And she screams.

"Killian! _Holy crap_ that's cold!"

His face softens as he turns around to change the temperature, before he smirks at her. "You and your bloody pictures are the reason I'm in here, because you took an endless amount of time to get home and I was going crazy."

She grins. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." She drags a hand through his wet hair. "And I'm here now."

His eyes wander from her head all the way down to her feet, and back up again, looking like a child finally getting to open their Christmas present. Or maybe a predator getting their prey. "Indeed you are."

He catches her lips with his (chases the smile she can't help) and he tastes like water and cinnamon – like home.


	24. post 4x03 drabble

_If there's one thing I'm good at, it's surviving._

His words echo in her mind long after they've parted ways, when she's lying in her bed trying to get some sleep. But she can't _not_ think about it: about all the ways he could've died; about all the ways he could've gotten hurt; about all the ways he wouldn't still be in her life. And it terrifies her.

Giving up, she lights her bedside lamp and grabs her phone, dialing the number for the phone she gave him (knowing the number by heart, not that she'd admit to it). He answers on the second ring.

"Swan? Is everything alright?" He sounds frantic, but she _had_ told him the phone was for emergencies, so she doesn't blame him for worrying, especially not when it's two am and a snow queen is still on the loose.

She sighs into the speaker of the phone. "It's fine."

He doesn't say anything else (she can hear him breathing still), because _damn it_ he knows her so well, knows that she needs to talk without questions right now.

"I can't sleep. Thinking about earlier today." She drags a hand over her face, and lets it lay over her eyes.

There's a muffled sound of _something_, as if he's moving about the room, but he keeps quiet.

"I'm not used to having this many people to worry about in my life." She takes a deep breath, trying to not let her emotions take over again, like they had during the evening. It aches across her chest, and each breath feels heavier and heavier. "And I can't deal with – "

There's a knock on the door, and she frowns despite feeling like she's about to burst. "What the hell? Hold on, Killian."

She pulls on her pajama pants and heads for the front door, opening it carefully before she sees who it is.

"What are you doing here, Killian?" she gapes, and stares at the phone in her hand. "I thought you were – "

He interrupts her by pulling her in for an embrace, both arms tightly wrapped around her neck, breathing against her throat, carefully cradling her head, and just like that the ache disappears, and breathing isn't so hard anymore.


End file.
